Ultrasound-assisted biosynthesis of novel methotrexate-conjugates

New methotrexate-acylglycerols and methotrexate-cyclodextrins (, and -CD) conjugates were obtained via esterification or transesterification reactions. All reactions were catalysed by esterases namely immobilized Lipase from Candida antarctica B and Lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus. The use of ultrasound to assist the reactions revealed to be a key factor to obtain high conversion yields on both MTX conjugates. Transesterification reactions including long chain triacylglycerols were only successful when ultrasound was applied. In cyclodextrins esterification a higher number of MTX molecules was also linked to cyclodextrins when ultrasound was used. All the conjugates were characterized by MALDI-TOF and NMR spectroscopy.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 – Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. Jennifer Noro also thanks to FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia for funding her scholarship (SFRH/BD/121673/2016). This work has also received funding from the European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement NMP-06-2015-683356 FOLSMART.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

O PET-SAÚDE como norteador da formação em enfermagem para o sistema único de saúde

Quality and universal health care is a right that should be guaranteed through public policies, proper funding, and through the adequate training of the health professionals. One of the strategies identified to overcome this challenge is the Education for the Work in Health Program (Programa de Educação para o Trabalho em Saúde, PET-Saúde, in the Portuguese acronym; PET-Health henceforth), which has the goal of promoting the interaction of students and professors with the health services. The goal of the present study was to compare, using the results of the 2013 National Nursing Student Performance Exam (Exame Nacional de Desempenho dos Estudantes dos cursos de Enfermagem, in Portuguese), the performance of the individuals who took part in the mentioned program with that of those who did not. It is an observational study, with a cross-sectional and analytical perspective, which was conducted between February and June 2017. The research analyzed the performance through the weighted arithmetic means regarding general training, professional training and Collective Health. The sample was composed of 30,289 students, 876 of which took part in the PET-Health. The students involved with the program performed better in every segment, with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) in comparison to those who did not take part in the program. The results indicate that the program in question has the power to understand the need for training within the Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde, SUS, in the Portuguese acronym) regarding the knowledge on Collective Health and the professional area, which should be a guiding element in the development of the syllabuses of Nursing Courses

Charge-Density-Wave Ordering in the Metal-Insulator Transition Compound PrRu4P12

X-ray and electron diffraction measurements on the metal-insulator (M-I) transition compound PrRu$_4$P$_{12}$ have revealed the emergence of a periodic ordering of charge density around the Pr atoms. It is found that the ordering is associated with the onset of a low temperature insulator phase. These conclusions are supported by the facts that the space group of the crystal structure transforms from Im$\bar{3}$ to Pm$\bar{3}$ below the M-I transition temperature and also that the temperature dependence of the superlattice peaks in the insulator phase follows the squared BCS function. The M-I transition could be originated from the perfect nesting of the Fermi surface and/or the instability of the $f$ electrons.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, Phys. Rev. B (2004) (in press

Condições sociais, escolarização e hábitos de estudo no desempenho acadêmico de concluintes da área de saúde

Vários fatores contribuem para a dificuldade no acesso e permanência na Educação Superior no Brasil. O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar a diferença de desempenho dos estudantes por condições socioeconômicas, escolarização e hábitos de estudo. Foi realizado estudo transversal analítico com base nos dados do Exame Nacional de Desempenho dos Estudantes, em amostra de 196.856 alunos dos cursos de saúde em 2013. A nítida barreira que estudantes de classes sociais menos favorecidas apresentam para ingresso e permanência na Educação Superior requer uma permanente busca de maior justiça social. Enquanto se mantiver a atual situação, é papel do governo proporcionar estratégias que viabilizem o acesso à Educação Superior por meio de políticas afirmativas e recursos para viabilizar que pessoas com piores condições socioeconômicas possam investir em sua formação. A bolsa-permanência apresentou-se como essencial na busca da equidade, assim como a bolsa acadêmica permitiu melhor desempenho, em especial, pelo maior vínculo com a Instituição de Educação Superior

Tight-binding parameters and exchange integrals of Ba_2Cu_3O_4Cl_2

Band structure calculations for Ba_2Cu_3O_4Cl_2 within the local density approximation (LDA) are presented. The investigated compound is similar to the antiferromagnetic parent compounds of cuprate superconductors but contains additional Cu_B atoms in the planes. Within the LDA, metallic behavior is found with two bands crossing the Fermi surface (FS). These bands are built mainly from Cu 3d_{x^2-y^2} and O 2p_{x,y} orbitals, and a corresponding tight-binding (TB) model has been parameterized. All orbitals can be subdivided in two sets corresponding to the A- and B-subsystems, respectively, the coupling between which is found to be small. To describe the experimentally observed antiferromagnetic insulating state, we propose an extended Hubbard model with the derived TB parameters and local correlation terms characteristic for cuprates. Using the derived parameter set we calculate the exchange integrals for the Cu_3O_4 plane. The results are in quite reasonable agreement with the experimental values for the isostructural compound Sr_2Cu_3O_4Cl_2.Comment: 5 pages (2 tables included), 4 ps-figure

Asociaciones entre las concentraciones de cobre sérico, cobre hepático y ceruloplasmina sérica en equinos

RESUMEN Objetivo. Determinar los valores y el grado de asociación entre las concentraciones de cobre (Cu) hepático y sérico y de ceruloplasmina (Cp) sérica en equinos. Materiales y métodos. Se utilizaron 38 equinos adultos, beneficiados en plantas faenadoras de la Región de la Araucanía, Chile. Se obtuvieron muestras de sangre por venopunción yugular previo al beneficio para determinar las concentraciones séricas de Cu y de Cp y, de hígado posterior al beneficio para determinar la concentración de Cu. Se calculó los intervalos de referencia y la asociación entre las concentraciones de Cu hepático y sérico y Cp sérica mediante correlación de Pearson y regresión lineal. Resultados. Se estimaron intervalos para las concentraciones de Cu hepático (32 - 161 μmol/kg de materia húmeda) y sérico (10 – 24 μmol/L) y, para Cp sérica (0.08 - 0.43 ΔDO). Los valores de Cu hepático, al ser comparados con los reportados por la literatura, indican que los animales presentaron un nivel adecuado de Cu, a excepción de 1 caballo, que se encontró bajo el límite inferior. La cupremia se asoció con la concentración sérica de Cp (r=0.49; p0.05). Conclusiones. Las concentraciones de Cu hepático de equinos adultos, beneficiados en plantas faenadoras de la Región de la Araucanía, Chile, se encontraron dentro de los intervalos descritos en la literatura. Las concentraciones de Cu hepático no se asociaron con las de Cu o Cp séricas

Variaciones hematológicas y de presión sanguínea en perros después de una picadura de abejas

RESUMEN Objetivo. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar los cambios hematológicos y de presión arterial en perros después de una picadura cutánea de abejas. Material y métodos. Se utilizaron 10 perros adultos, a los cuales se les inoculó veneno de abeja mediante una picadura cutánea controlada. De cada animal se extrajo una muestra de sangre previa y los 15 y 300 minutos post inoculación. Se registró la presión arterial sistólica (PAS), diastólica (PAD), media (PAM) y de pulso (PP) desde 15 minutos previos hasta 45 minutos posteriores a la inoculación. Resultados. El recuento de eritrocitos, el hematocrito y la concentración de hemoglobina se redujeron a los 15 minutos post-inoculación (p0.05). Conclusiones. La picadura cutánea de abejas produce un descenso transitorio del recuento de eritrocitos, hematocrito y concentración de hemoglobina, junto con una disminución en el recuento de reticulocitos y del recuento relativo de eosinófilos, sin alterar mayormente la presión sanguínea

Transport Properties, Thermodynamic Properties, and Electronic Structure of SrRuO3

SrRuO$_3$ is a metallic ferromagnet. Its electrical resistivity is reported for temperatures up to 1000K; its Hall coefficient for temperatures up to 300K; its specific heat for temperatures up to 230K. The energy bands have been calculated by self-consistent spin-density functional theory, which finds a ferromagnetic ordered moment of 1.45$\mu_{{\rm B}}$ per Ru atom. The measured linear specific heat coefficient $\gamma$ is 30mJ/mole, which exceeds the theoretical value by a factor of 3.7. A transport mean free path at room temperature of $\approx 10 \AA$ is found. The resistivity increases nearly linearly with temperature to 1000K in spite of such a short mean free path that resistivity saturation would be expected. The Hall coefficient is small and positive above the Curie temperature, and exhibits both a low-field and a high-field anomalous behavior below the Curie temperature.Comment: 6 pages (latex) and 6 figures (postscript, uuencoded.) This paper will appear in Phys. Rev. B, Feb. 15, 199